Method and apparatus for transferring a dumper skip from a vehicle



20, 1966 B. THWAITES 3,292,805

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A BUMPER SKIP FROM A VEHICLE Filed Nov. 50, 1964 United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A BUMPER SKIP FROM A VEHICLE Leslie Basil Thwaites, Welch Road Works, Cubbington, near Leamington Spa, England Filed Nov. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 414,542

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 2, 1963,

47,389/ 63 4 Claims. (Cl. 214-515) The invention relates to a method of transferring a dumper skip from the dumper to the ground, and to a stand for use in achieving the method. The word dumper is used to define a dirigible self-propelled vehicle which is provided with a detachable skip for carrying bulk materials, such as sand or wet concrete, and is capable of carrying other implements, for instance, an excavator. Whilst a dumper has proved to be a very versatile piece of equipment in that it can be used alternatively to carry a skip or an excavator, the operation of removing one implement and replacing it with another implement has hitherto proved to be difiicult and time consuming. It is an object of this invention to provide a method of, and apparatus for, facilitating the detachment and subsequent replacement of the skip of a dumper.

According to the invention the method of transferring a dumper skip from the dumper to the ground includes attaching a stand to the skip whilst the latter is supported by the dumper, tilting the skip relatively to the dumper for the lowermost edge of the skip to engage the ground and for the stand to be presented towards the ground, completely disconnecting the points of attachment between the skip and the dumper, and tipping the skip slightly away from the dumper about its said lowermost edge for the stand to engage the ground, whereby the skip is stably supported from the ground by its said.

lowermost edge and by the stand after the dumper is driven away from the skip, and the attachment points of the skip are conveniently arranged for re-connection with the corresponding attachment points of the, or another, dumper. Preferably the stand is attached to the edge of the skip which is parallely spaced from said lowermost edge.

According to a further feature of the invention a stand Which is adapted for attachment to the skip of a dumper, according to the method of the invention, is adapted to support the skip from the ground after detachment from the dumper.

According to another feature of the invention a stand which is adapted for attachment to the skip of the dumper, according to the method of the invention, may include a prop provided with a ground-engaging foot at one end and a hooked member at the other end for engaging the edge of the skip which is parallely spaced from said lowermost edge. Preferably the ground-engaging foot is provided with a spike for penetrating the ground in order to prevent the foot from slipping, and the hooked member is formed from a sheet which is secured to the prop and provides a fiat surface for abutting the inside of the skip adjacent the edge which is parallely spaced from said lowermost edge.

The invention is now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a dumper carrying a skip to which a stand has been attached, the skip being indicated in its normal transport position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation corresponding with FIGURE 1, but showing the skip tipped until its lowermost edge is engaging the ground;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the skip of FIG- URES 1 and 2 supported from the ground by its stand, and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the stand.

As will be readily appreciated from FIGURES 1 and 2, the dumper is provided with a seat 10, a steering column 11 for steering the rear wheels 12, and an engine 13 for driving the front wheels 14 through a diflerential axle 15 which is rigidly secured to the chassis frame 16. The skip 17 rests on a pair of plates 18 which are arranged one at each side of the dumper and are secured to the chassis frame 16, and the skip .is held in place by a catch 19 which is operated by a lever 20. A pair of links 21 pivotally connect the sides of the skip to the plates 18 which latter have curved ends 22 so that, when the lever 20 is operated to release the catch 19, the interaction of the links 21 and of the skip with the curved ends 22 causes the skip to tip forwards generally as indicated in FIGURE 2. However, the skip is usually prevented from tipping as far as shown in FIGURE 2 by check chains 23 interconnecting the chassis 16 and the skip 17.

Referring to FIGURE 4, the stand comprises a tubular prop 24 to one end of which is welded a groundengaging foot 25 having a spiked extension 26. The other end of the prop 24 is welded to a plate 27 which is bent at one side into a hook 28, and the plate is stiffened by a triangular web 29 interconnecting the prop and the plate.

When it is desired to detach the skip 17, the hook 28 of the stand is engaged with skip rim 30 remote from the pouring lip 31 as indicated in FIGURE 1. The check chains 23 are then disconnected from the skip as shown in FIGURE 2 and the lever 20 is operated to release the skip which then tips forward until the lip 31 engages the ground. In this condition it will be noted that the foot 25 is presented towards the ground and is nearly in engagement therewith. The next step is to disengage the links 21 whereupon the skip will tip slightly further for the spike 26 to penetrate the ground and for the foot 25 to bear on the ground surface. This condition is seen from FIGURE 3 from which it will be appreciated that the skip is stably supported from the ground, after the dumper has been driven away for use with another implement, by the lip 31 and by the foot 25 which is prevented from slipping by the spike 26. It

will be appreciated that, whilst the skip is being supported by the stand, the weight of the skip is distributed over the flat area of plate 27 which abuts the inside of the skip adjacent the rim.

When it is desired to remount the skip on the dumper, the latter is driven up to the side of the skip remote from the stand, the driver dismounts to re-connect the links 21 to their respective plates 18 and to tip the skip backwards until the catch 19 engages. The check chains 23 can then be re-connected to the skip and the hook 28 of the stand disengaged from the skip rim 30 to leave the skip fully operative. This operation only requires one person, namely the dumper driver, and as the skip does not have to be manhandled in the usual manner from a position in which both the rim 30 and lip 31 engage the ground, the skip can be replaced extremely quickly with a minimum of effort.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of transferring a dumper skip from the dumper to the ground, including attaching a stand to the skip whilst the latter is still supported by the dumper, tilting the skip until its lowermost edge engages the ground, disconnecting the skip from the dumper, and subsequently tipping the skip away from the dumper about its said lowermost edge for the stand to engage the ground, whereby the skip is stably supported from the ground by its said lowermost edge and by the stand after the dumper is driven away in a position convenient for re-connection to the dumper.

2. The method, as in claim 1, which includes attaching the stand to an edge of the skip which is parallely spaced from the said lowermost edge.

3. A stand in combination with a dumper skip for storage of the skip, said stand including a prop, a foot, secured to one end of said prop, said foot adapted to engage the ground, a hooked member secured to the other end of said prop, a plate secured to said prop adjacent said hooked member, said hooked member adapted for attachment to one edge of the dumper skip, said plate adaptedto bear against an inside surface of the skip defined by the Wall coplanar with said one edge whenever said hooked member is attached to said one edge whereby the dumper skip will be stably supported from the ground by'said stand when another edge of the dumper skip parallely-spaced from said one edge and said foot engage the ground.

4. A stand in combination With a dumper skip for storage of the skip, said stand including a prop, a foot secured to one end of said prop, said foot adapted to engage the ground, a spike secured to said foot, said spike adapted to penetrate the ground when said foot engages the ground, a hooked member secured .to the 7 other end of said prop, a plate secured to said prop adjacent said hooked member, said hooked member adapted i for attachment to one edge of the dumper skip, said plate adapted to bear against an inside surface of the skip defined by the wall coplanar with said one edge whenever said hooked member is: attached to said one edge whereby the dumper skip will -be stably supported from the ground by said stand when another edge of the dumper skip parallely-spaced from said one edge and said foot engage the ground.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. ALBERT J. MAKAY, Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF TRANSFERRING A DUMPER SKIP FROM THE DUMPER TO THE GROUND, INCLUDING ATTACHING A STAND TO THE SKIP WHILST THE LATTER IS STILL SUPPORTED BY THE DUMPER, TILTING THE SKIP UNTIL ITS LOWERMOST EDGE ENGAGES THE GROUND, DISCONNECTING THE SKIP FROM THE DUMPER, AND SUBSEQUENTLY TIPPING THE SKID AWAY FROM THE DUMPER ABOUT ITS SAID LOWERMOST EDGE FOR THE STAND TO ENGAGE THE GROUND, WHEREBY THE SKIP IS STABLY SUPPORTED FROM THE GROUND BY ITS SAID LOWERMOST EDGE AND BY THE STAND AFTER THE DUMPER IS DRIVEN AWAY IN A POSITION CONVENIENT FOR RE-CONNECTION TO THE DUMPER. 